Brest Coat of Arms Meaning

The three main devices (symbols) in the Brest blazon are the cinquefoil, cross crosslet and arrow. The three main tinctures (colors) are gules, sable and or .

Gules, the heraldic colour red is very popular, sometimes said to represent “Military Fortitude and Magnanimity”1The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P36. It is usually abbreviated as gu and in the days before colour printing was shown in a system known as hatching by vertical lines 2Understanding Signs & Symbols – Heraldry, S. Oliver & G. Croton, Quantum, London, 2013, P52. Although it may look like a French word it is normally pronounced with a hard “g” and may be derived either from the Latin gula (throat) or Arabic gule (rose).3A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1847, P154

Sable, the deep black so often found in Heraldry is believed to named from an animal of the marten family know in the middle ages as a Sabellinœ and noted for its very black fur 4A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1894, Entry:Sable. In engravings, when colors cannot be shown it is represented as closely spaced horizontal and vertical lines, and appropriately is thus the darkest form of hatching, as this method is known 5Boutell’s Heraldry, J.P. Brooke-Little, Warne, (revised Edition) London 1970, P 26. Although it may seem a sombre tone, and does indeed sometimes denote grief, it is more commonly said to represent Constancy 6The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P35.

Or is the heraldic metal Gold, often shown as a bold, bright yellow colour. It is said to show “Generosity and elevation of the mind” 7The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P35. Later heralds, of a more poetic nature liked to refer to it as Topaz, after the gemstone, and, for obvious reasons associated it with the Sun 8Understanding Signs & Symbols – Heraldry, S. Oliver & G. Croton, Quantum, London, 2013, P53. In drawings without colour it is usually represented by many small dots, or by the letter ‘O’ 9A Complete Guide to Heraldry, A.C. Fox-Davies, Bonanza (re-print of 1909 Edition), New York, 1978, P76-77.

Natural objects abound in heraldry, and one category that gives especial delight are the many flowers and flowering plants that frequently occur 10A Complete Guide to Heraldry, A.C. Fox-Davies, Bonanza (re-print of 1909 Edition), New York, 1978, P262. The cinquefoil is also of this type, being drawn, at least a little, realistically and often to very pleasing effect. It is shown as five-petalled flower, each petal quite rounded but with a distinct tip. It is sometimes pierced with a hole in the centre and usually appears on its own, without any leaves. 11A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1894, Entry:Cinquefoil It has no fixed colour but can appear in any of the available heraldic tinctures.

No other symbol appearing in heraldry is subject to as much variation as the cross12Boutell’s Heraldry, J.P. Brooke-Little, Warne, (revised Edition) London 1970, P 47. Mediaeval Europe was a deeply religious and Christian and many of the nobility wanted to show their devotion by adopting the symbol of the cross as part of the arms. Since no two arms could be identical there arose many variants of the cross. The cross crosslet is one of these, being symetrical both vertically and horizontally and having an additional cross bar on each arm. 13A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1894, Entry:Cross Crosslet Wade suggests that these additional crossing signify “the fourfold mystery of the Cross”. 14The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P103

Given the martial nature of the origins of Heraldry, in the identification of knights and men-at-arms it can come as no surprise that mediaeval weaponry of all types are frequently to be found in a coat of arms 15Boutell’s Heraldry, J.P. Brooke-Little, Warne, (revised Edition) London 1970, P 89. The regular prescence of the arrow, both singly and in groups is evidence of this. In British heraldry a lone arrow normally points downward, but in the French tradition it points upwards. 16A Glossary of Terms used in British Heraldry, J.H. Parker, Oxford, 1894, Entry:Arrow. The presence of an arrow in a coat of arms is reckoned to indicate “martial readiness” by Wade. 17The Symbolisms of Heraldry, W. Cecil Wade, George Redway, London, 1898 P111

Origin, Meaning and Family History of the Brest Name

Brest Origin:

France

Origins of Brest:

The French name Brest started in the northern coastal region of France known as Normandy. The name Normandy acquired from the settlement and invasion of the territory by (“Northmen”) better known as Vikings. One can encounter great variation in the spelling of French surnames in part, like spelling, and the spelling names not yet regulated during the early advancement of the written French language. Later, there was much branching and movement of families, and spellings would change according to the region. Variations of the name Brest include as Brisson, Brison, Brés, Bris, Brix, de Brix, Bresset, Bresson, Bressot, Brice, Brisse, Brisset, Brissonot, Brissonneau, Brissonet, Brissonnet, Brissot, Brissaud and much more.

Variations:

France:

The surname Brest first appeared in Normandy (French: Normandie), the former Duchy of Normandy, where the family first started, maintaining their status as one of more distinguished families of the region.

Ireland:

Many of the people with surname Brest had moved to Ireland during the 17th century.

United States of America:

Individuals with the surname Brest landed in the United States in two different centuries respectively in the 18th, and 19th. Some of the people with the name Brest who arrived in the United States in the 18th century included Johann Heinrich Brest, who arrived in Pennsylvania in the year 1709.

The following century saw more Brest surnames arrive. Some of the people with the surname Brest who arrived in the United States in the 19th century included Joseph Brest, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) Division, Pennsylvania in the year 1848.

Here is the population distribution of the last name Brest: Argentina 1,628; France 1,151; United States 594; South Africa 310; Germany 134; Australia 76; Israel 47; Norway 46; England 43; Netherlands 27.

Notable People:

Harold Brest was a 20th-century American prisoner.

Jorge Aníbal Romero Brest (October 1905 – February 1989) was an influential art critic in Argentina, who helped popularize avant-garde art in his country. He was born in Buenos Aires in 1905, Romero Brest enjoyed multiple interests in his youth, and excelled in a variety of sports. His father, Enrique Romero Brest, organized the National Institute of Physical Education. Jorge Brest started writing for his father’s sports magazine, Revista de Educación Física. His research for these articles familiarized him with André Dunoyer de Segonzac’s illustrations on the subject, and he began an intellectual interest in art. He enrolled at the University of Buenos Aires in 1926, earned a Law degree in 1933, and married Amelia Rossi.

Lewis Francis Brest (May 1842 – December 1915) was an American soldier who got the Medal of Honor for valor during the American Civil War.

Martin Brest (born August 1951) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer.

Paul Brest (born c. 1940) is an American philosopher of constitutional law, an earlier president of the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and a former administrator of Stanford Law School. He is an influential theorist on the role of non-profit organizations in society and widely credited with coining the name originalism to describe a particular approach to interpreting the United States Constitution.

Vida Brest (true name Majda Peterlin) (July 1925 –November 1985) was a Yugoslav Slovene-language poet, author, journalist, and professor, best known for her juvenile fiction, often based on her experiences as a young Partisan during the Second World War. She was born in Sentrupert in Lower Carniola in 1925. At the age of 17 she joined the resistance movement and after the end of the Second World War became a journalist and teacher. She later devoted herself to writing, her main inspiration being her own experiences during the war, but also wrote fairy tales and children’s stories. From a very early age, she also wrote poetry, with her first poems published by the Partisan press during the war. A selection of her best poems was published posthumously in the year 1995, selected and edited by Ivan Minatti.

Brest Family Gift Ideas

Browse Brest family gift ideas and products below. If there are multiple coats of arms for this surname, you will see them at the top of this page and can click on the various coat of arms designs to apply them to the gift ideas below.

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Disclaimer

The term family crest is a misnomer. For the most part, arms belonged to individuals and not families or surnames. Purchasing products featuring these arms does not entitle you to claim the arms as your own.